Joey Bishop, Last of the 'Rat Pack,' Dies at 89 | Fox News Joey Bishop, Last of the 'Rat Pack,' Dies at 89 Published October 18, 2007 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 Email Print LOS ANGELES – Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89. He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998. Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday. The Rat Pack became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner. Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise.

He termed the comedian "the Hub of the Big Wheel," with Bishop coming up with some of the best one-liners and beginning many jokes with his favorite phrase, "Son of a gun!" "He was the perfect match for the Rat Pack. He fit right in like an old shoe," Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said Thursday. The quintet lived it up whenever members were free of their own commitments. They appeared together in such films as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeants 3" and proudly gave honorary membership to a certain fun-loving politician from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, at whose inauguration gala Bishop served as master of ceremonies. The Rat Pack faded after Kennedy's assassination, but the late 1990s brought a renaissance, with the group depicted in an HBO movie and portrayed by imitators in Las Vegas and elsewhere. The movie "Ocean's Eleven" was even remade in 2003 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the lead roles. Bishop defended his fellow performers' rowdy reputations in a 1998 interview. "Are we remembered as being drunk and chasing broads?" he asked.

"I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag. And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away." Away from the Rat Pack, Bishop starred in two TV series, both called "The Joey Bishop Show." The first, an NBC sitcom, got off to a rocky start in 1961. Critical and audience response was generally negative, and the second season brought a change in format. The third season brought a change in network, with the show moving to ABC, but nothing seemed to help and it was canceled in 1965. In the first series, Bishop played a TV talk show host. Then, he really became a TV talk show host. His program was started by ABC in 1967 as a challenge to Johnny Carson's immensely popular "The Tonight Show." Like Carson, Bishop sat behind a desk and bantered with a sidekick, TV newcomer Regis Philbin. But despite an impressive guest list and outrageous stunts, Bishop couldn't dent Carson's ratings, and "The Joey Bishop Show" was canceled after two seasons.

Bishop then became a familiar guest figure in TV variety shows and as sub for vacationing talk show hosts, filling in for Carson 205 times. He also played character roles in such movies as "The Naked and the Dead" ("I played both roles"), "Onion-head," "Johnny Cool," "Texas Across the River," "Who's Minding the Mint?" "Valley of the Dolls" and "The Delta Force." His comedic schooling came from vaudeville, burlesque and nightclubs. Skipping his last high school semester in Philadelphia, he formed a music and comedy act with two other boys, and they played clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They called themselves the Bishop Brothers, borrowing the name from their driver, Glenn Bishop. Joseph Abraham Gottlieb would eventually adopt Joey Bishop as his stage name. When his partners got drafted, Bishop went to work as a single, playing his first solo date in Cleveland at the well-named El Dumpo. During these early years he developed his style: laid-back drollery, with surprise throwaway lines. After 3 1/2 years in the Army, Bishop resumed his career in 1945.

Within five years he was earning $1,000 a week at New York's Latin Quarter. Sinatra saw him there one night and hired him as opening act. While most members of the Sinatra entourage treated the great man gingerly, Bishop had no inhibitions. He would tell audiences that the group's leader hadn't ignored him: "He spoke to me backstage; he told me `Get out of the way."' When Sinatra almost drowned filming a movie scene in Hawaii, Bishop wired him: "I thought you could walk on water." Born in New York's borough of the Bronx, Bishop was the youngest of five children of two immigrants from Eastern Europe. When he was 3 months old the family moved to South Philadelphia, where he attended public schools. He recalled being an indifferent student, once remarking, "In kindergarten, I flunked sand pile." In 1941 Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga and, despite the rigors of a show business career, the marriage survived until her death in 1999. Bishop, who spent his retirement years on the upscale Lido Isle in Southern California's Newport Bay, is survived by son Larry Bishop; grandchildren Scott and Kirk Bishop; and longtime companion Nora Garabotti.

Advertisement The Rat Pack The Rat Pack Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998) Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and motion-picture actor who became one of the most sought-after performers in the entertainment industry; he is often hailed as the greatest Ameri... Dean Martin (1917 - 1995) ENJOY some of his SINGING ! Find a Grave Birth: Jun. 7, 1917 Steubenville Jefferson County Ohio, USA Death: Dec. 25, 1995 Legendary Singer, Actor, and Comedian. Born Dino Paul Crocetti in Stueb... Peter Lawford (1923 - 1984) The Times, December 27, 1984 MR PETER LAWFORD Peter Lawford the British born leading man who was seen as the suave Englishman in many Hollywood films died in Los Angeles on December 24. He was 61 a...

Joey Bishop (1918 - 2007) Joey Bishop (born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb ; February 3, 1918 – October 17, 2007) was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, P... history The Rat Pack was a group of actors originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a later variation of the group, after Bogart's death, that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Joey Bishop , who appeared together on stage and in films in the early-1960s, including the movie Ocean's 11. Sinatra, Martin and Davis were regarded as the group's lead members. 1950s The name "Rat Pack" was first used to refer to a group of friends in New York. Several explanations have been offered for the famous name over the years.

According to one version, the group's original "Den Mother," Lauren Bacall, after seeing her husband (Bogart) and his friends return from a night in Las Vegas, said words to the effect of "You look like a goddamn rat pack." "Rat Pack" may also be a shortened version of "Holmby Hills Rat Pack," a reference to the home of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall which served as a regular hangout. Visiting members included Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney and Cesar Romero. According to Stephen Bogart, the original members of the Holmby Hills Rat Pack were Sinatra (pack master), Judy Garland (first vice-president), Bacall (den mother), Sid Luft (cage master), Bogart (rat in charge of public relations), Swifty Lazar (recording secretary and treasurer), Nathaniel Benchley (historian), David Niven, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, George Cukor, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, and Jimmy Van Heusen. In his autobiography The Moon's a Balloon, David Niven confirms that the Rat Pack originally included him but not Sammy Davis, Jr. or Dean Martin.

1960s The 1960s version of the group included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and for a brief stint, Norman Fell.[citation needed] Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine were often referred to as the "Rat Pack Mascots"[citation needed]. The post-Bogart version of the group (Bogart died in 1957) was reportedly never called that name by any of its members — they called it the Summit or the Clan. "The Rat Pack" was a term used by journalists and outsiders, although it remains the lasting name for the group. Often, when one of the members was scheduled to give a performance, the rest of the Pack would show up for an impromptu show, causing much excitement among audiences, resulting in return visits. They sold out almost all of their appearances, and people would come pouring into Las Vegas, sometimes sleeping in cars and hotel lobbies when they could not find rooms, just to be part of the Rat Pack entertainment experience.

The marquees of the hotels at which they were performing as individuals would read, for example, "DEAN MARTIN - MAYBE FRANK - MAYBE SAMMY" as seen on a Sands Hotel sign. Peter Lawford was a brother-in-law of President John F. Kennedy (dubbed "Brother-in-Lawford" by Sinatra), and the group played a role in campaigning for him and the Democrats, appearing at the July 11, 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Lawford had asked Sinatra if he would have Kennedy as a guest at his Palm Springs house in March 1963, and Sinatra went to great lengths (including the construction of a helipad) to accommodate the President. When Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy advised his brother to sever his ties to Sinatra because of the entertainer's association with Mafia figures such as Sam Giancana, the stay was cancelled. Kennedy instead chose to stay at rival Bing Crosby's estate, which further infuriated Sinatra. Lawford was blamed for this, and Sinatra "never again had a good word for (him)" from that point onwards.

Lawford's role in the upcoming 4 for Texas was written out, and his part in Robin and the 7 Hoods was given to Bing Crosby. On June 20, 1965, Sinatra, Martin, and Davis, with Johnny Carson as the emcee (subbing for Bishop, who was out with a bad back), performed their only televised concert together during the heyday of the Pack at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, a closed-circuit broadcast done as a fundraiser for Dismas House (the first halfway house for ex-convicts). Thirty years later Paul Brownstein tracked down a print of the "lost" show in a St. Louis closet. It has since been broadcast on Nick at Night (in 1998) as part of The Museum of Television & Radio Showcase series and released on DVD as part of the Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin. Later years In 1981, Martin and Davis appeared together in the film Cannonball Run, and were joined by Sinatra in the sequel Cannonball Run II. This would be the last time that the three would appear in a movie together. (Shirley MacLaine also appears in the latter film).

Revival In December 1987, at Chasen's restaurant in Los Angeles, Sinatra, Davis, and Martin announced a 29 date tour, called Together Again, sponsored by HBO and American Express. At the press conference to announce the tour, Martin joked about calling the tour off, and Sinatra rebuked a reporter for using the term "Rat Pack," referring to it as "that stupid phrase". Dean Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin, had died in a plane crash in March 1987 on the San Gorgonio Mountain in California, the same mountain where Sinatra's mother, Dolly, had been killed in a plane crash ten years earlier. Martin had since become increasingly dependent on alcohol and prescription drugs. Davis had had hip replacement surgery two years previously, and been estranged from Sinatra because of his (Davis') usage of cocaine. Davis was also experiencing severe financial difficulties, and was promised by Sinatra's people that he could earn between six and eight million dollars from the tour. Martin had not made a film or recorded since 1983, and Sinatra felt that the tour would be good for Martin, telling Davis, "I think it would be great for Dean. Get him out.

For that alone it would be worth doing". Sinatra and Davis still performed regularly, yet had not recorded for several years. Both Sinatra and Martin had made their last film appearances together, in 1984's Cannonball Run II, a film which also starred Davis. This marked the trio's first feature film appearance since 1964's Robin and the 7 Hoods. Martin expressed reservations about the tour, wondering whether they could draw as many people as they had in the past. After private rehearsals, at one of which Sinatra and Davis had complained about the lack of black musicians in the orchestra, the tour began at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on March 13, 1988. To a sold-out crowd of 14,500, Davis opened the show, followed by Martin and then Sinatra; after an interval, the three performed a medley of songs. During the show, Martin threw a lighted cigarette at the audience; this, coupled with his increasingly blasé attitude to the tour and his frustration with Sinatra's anger over hotel accommodation in Chicago, led to his leaving the tour after only four performances. Martin cited 'kidney problems' as the reason for his departure.

Eliot Weisman, Sinatra's representative, suggested replacing Martin with his client, Liza Minnelli. With Minnelli, the tour was called The Ultimate Event, and continued internationally to great success. Davis's associate recalled Sinatra's people skimming the top of the revenues from the concerts, as well as stuffing envelopes full of cash into suitcases after the performances. Eliot Weisman had already been convicted of skimming, the act of taking money before it has been accounted for taxation purposes, after a series of Sinatra performances at the Westchester Premier Theatre in 1976, eventually being sentenced to six years in prison for the offence. In August 1989, after Davis experienced throat pain, he was diagnosed with throat cancer; he would die of the disease in May 1990. Davis was buried with a gold watch that Sinatra had given him at the conclusion of The Ultimate Event Tour. A 1989 performance of The Ultimate Event in Detroit was recorded and shown on Showtime the following year as a tribute to the recently deceased Davis.

A review in The New York Times praised Davis's performance, describing him as "pure, ebullient, unapologetic show business." Legacy Concerning the group's reputation for womanizing and heavy drinking, Joey Bishop stated in a 1998 interview: "I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy, or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag! And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away!" The five key members of the sixties Rat Pack are now deceased: Peter Lawford died on December 24, 1984 of cardiac arrest complicated by kidney and liver failure at the age of 61. Sammy Davis, Jr. died at the age of 64 on May 16, 1990, of complications from throat cancer. Dean Martin died at home on Christmas morning, December 25, 1995, aged 78. Frank Sinatra died on May 14, 1998, at the age of 82. Joey Bishop, the last surviving and longest-lived (89) Rat Pack member, died on October 17, 2007.

Films It Happened in Brooklyn (1947) (Sinatra, Lawford) Some Came Running (1958) (Sinatra, Martin, and MacLaine) Never So Few (1959) (Sinatra, Lawford, and initially Davis, who was replaced by Steve McQueen) Ocean's Eleven (1960) (Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Lawford, and Bishop) Sergeants 3 (1962) (Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Lawford, and Bishop) 4 for Texas (1963) (Sinatra and Martin) Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) (Sinatra, Martin, Davis, and initially Lawford, who was replaced by Bing Crosby) Marriage on the Rocks (1965) (Sinatra and Martin) Texas Across the River (1966) (Martin and Bishop) Salt and Pepper (1968) (Davis and Lawford) One More Time (1970) (Davis and Lawford) The Cannonball Run (1981) (Martin and Davis) Cannonball Run II (1984) (Martin, Davis, Sinatra

, and MacLaine) MacLaine also had a major role (and Sinatra a cameo) in the 1956 Oscar-winning film Around the World in Eighty Days.

MacLaine played a Hindu princess who is rescued by, and falls in love with, David Niven, and Sinatra had a non-speaking, non-singing role as a piano player in a saloon, whose identity is concealed from the viewer until he turns his face toward the camera during a scene featuring Marlene Dietrich and George Raft. MacLaine also briefly appears in Ocean's Eleven as a drunken woman. The 1984 film Cannonball Run II marked the final time members of the Rat Pack shared theatrical screen time together. Comedian Joey Bishop dies - CNN.com Comedian Joey Bishop dies Comedian Joey Bishop dies at home in Los Angeles With Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Bishop was in Rat Pack Bishop had late-'60s talk show; sidekick was Regis Philbin LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89. Joey Bishop was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack. He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr.

in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998. Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday. The Rat Pack -- originally a social group surrounding Humphrey Bogart -- became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner. Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise. He termed the comedian "the Hub of the Big Wheel," with Bishop coming up with some of the best one-liners and beginning many jokes with his favorite phrase, "Son of a gun!" The quintet lived it up whenever members were free of their own commitments. They appeared together in such films as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeants 3" and proudly gave honorary membership to a certain fun-loving politician from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, at whose inauguration gala Bishop served as master of ceremonies.

The Rat Pack faded after Kennedy's assassination, but the late 1990s brought a renaissance, with the group depicted in an HBO movie and portrayed by imitators in Las Vegas and elsewhere. The movie "Ocean's Eleven" was even remade in 2003 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the lead roles. Bishop defended his fellow performers' rowdy reputations in a 1998 interview. "Are we remembered as being drunk and chasing broads?" he asked. "I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag. And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away." Away from the Rat Pack, Bishop starred in two TV series, both called "The Joey Bishop Show." The first, an NBC sitcom, got off to a rocky start in 1961. Critical and audience response was generally negative, and the second season brought a change in format. The third season brought a change in network, with the show moving to ABC, but nothing seemed to help and it was canceled in 1965. In the first series, Bishop played a TV talk show host.

Then, he really became a TV talk show host. His program was started by ABC in 1967 as a challenge to Johnny Carson's immensely popular "The Tonight Show." Like Carson, Bishop sat behind a desk and bantered with a sidekick, TV newcomer Regis Philbin. But despite an impressive guest list and outrageous stunts, Bishop couldn't dent Carson's ratings, and "The Joey Bishop Show" was canceled after two seasons. Philbin remembered Bishop fondly. "It was the thrill of my life to be chosen by Joey as the announcer for his talk show on ABC back in the '60s," he said in a statement. "I learned a lot about the business of making people laugh. He was a master comedian and a great teacher and I will never forget those days or him." After the talk show's cancellation, Bishop became a familiar guest figure in TV variety shows and as sub for vacationing talk show hosts, filling in for Carson 205 times.

He also played character roles in such movies as "The Naked and the Dead" ("I played both roles"), "Onion-head," "Johnny Cool," "Texas Across the River," "Who's Minding the Mint?" "Valley of the Dolls" and "The Delta Force." His comedic schooling came from vaudeville, burlesque and nightclubs. Skipping his last high school semester in Philadelphia, he formed a music and comedy act with two other boys, and they played clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They called themselves the Bishop Brothers, borrowing the name from their driver, Glenn Bishop. Joseph Abraham Gottlieb would eventually adopt Joey Bishop as his stage name. When his partners got drafted, Bishop went to work as a single, playing his first solo date in Cleveland at the well-named El Dumpo. During these early years he developed his style: laid-back drollery, with surprise throwaway lines. After 3 1/2 years in the Army, Bishop resumed his career in 1945. Within five years he was earning $1,000 a week at New York's Latin Quarter. Sinatra saw him there one night and hired him as opening act.

While most members of the Sinatra entourage treated the great man gingerly, Bishop had no inhibitions. He would tell audiences that the group's leader hadn't ignored him: "He spoke to me backstage; he told me, 'Get out of the way.' " When Sinatra almost drowned filming a movie scene in Hawaii, Bishop wired him: "I thought you could walk on water." Born in New York's borough of the Bronx, Bishop was the youngest of five children of two immigrants from Eastern Europe. When he was 3 months old the family moved to South Philadelphia, where he attended public schools. He recalled being an indifferent student, once remarking, "In kindergarten, I flunked sand pile." In 1941 Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga and, despite the rigors of a show business career, the marriage survived until her death in 1999. Bishop, who spent his retirement years on the upscale Lido Isle in Southern California's Newport Bay, is survived by son Larry Bishop; grandchildren Scott and Kirk Bishop; and longtime companion Nora Garabotti.

E-mail to a friend Joey Bishop, 89, Last of the Rat Pack, Is Dead - The New York Times The New York Times Arts |Joey Bishop, 89, Last of the Rat Pack, Is Dead Search Joey Bishop, 89, Last of the Rat Pack, Is Dead By RICHARD SEVERO Joey Bishop , the long-faced comedian and last surviving member of the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra’s celebrated retinue of the 1960s, died Wednesday night at his home in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 89. There were multiple causes, said his longtime publicist, Warren Cowan. Mr. Bishop was the least flamboyant of the Rat Pack and no match for the others — Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sinatra himself — in their dedication to hell raising. But he shared in their phenomenal success in the early 1960s, when they headlined music and comedy shows at the Sands in Las Vegas and made movies like “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Sergeants 3.” When John F.

Kennedy, a friend of Sinatra’s and a brother-in-law of Lawford’s, was elected president in 1960, Mr. Bishop was master of ceremonies at the inaugural ball. Mr. Bishop, a regular guest on television as a stand-up comedian, eventually had his own TV shows: a sitcom in which he played a talk-show host and later his own actual talk show, appearing on ABC in a short-lived challenge to Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” His sidekick was a young Regis Philbin, now a host of his own syndicated morning talk show, “Live With Regis and Kelly.” Continue reading the main story In his vigorous years, when he was known as “the Frown Prince” and his income and fame were substantial, Mr. Bishop indulged himself with a Rolls-Royce and a speedboat. But he seemed happiest when he was playing golf with his fellow comedians Buddy Hackett, Phil Foster and Dick Shawn. And unlike the others in the Pack, he remained married to the same woman, the former Sylvia Ruzga, for 58 years, until her death in 1999.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story They had a son, Larry, who became a comic actor and is now a director and producer. Mr. Bishop is also survived by two grandchildren and his companion, Nora Garabotti. Mr. Bishop suggested at times that although he was grateful for all that Sinatra had done for his career, including seeing to it that he got roles in Rat Pack movies, he felt he was more the mascot of the Pack than a full-fledged member. A 2002 biography of him by Michael Seth Starr was titled “Mouse in the Rat Pack.” Photo Joey Bishop in October 1963. Credit Associated Press “But even the mascot gets to carry the ball, too,” Mr. Bishop said, and many sources credit him with writing bright material for the rest of the Pack. Mr. Bishop had a talent for ad-libbing, often using his catchphrase — “Son of a gun!” — as an all-purpose interjection. He refused to memorize jokes. “The kick is to think quickly,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 1966. “It’s a great kick.” That approach pleased Sinatra, who first saw Mr.

Bishop perform in the early 1950s, at the Latin Quarter in Manhattan. Sinatra asked him to open for him at Bill Miller’s Riviera, a club in Fort Lee, N.J. Soon he was regularly opening for Sinatra and known as “Sinatra’s comic.” He also began getting jobs in first-rate clubs even when Sinatra was not on the bill. He got laughs when, in the middle of a performance at the Copacabana in Manhattan, Marilyn Monroe suddenly appeared, swathed in white ermine. Mr. Bishop was quick. “Marilyn, I told you to sit in the truck,” he said. Another time he told an audience how he had gotten a small role in the movie “The Naked and the Dead.” He said he “played both parts.” Joey Bishop was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb in the Bronx on Feb. 3, 1918, the fifth child and third son of Jacob Gottlieb and the former Anna Siegel, immigrants from Eastern Europe. When Joey was 3 months old, Jacob Gottlieb moved his family to Philadelphia, where he worked odd jobs and ran a bicycle shop.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story Joey Gottlieb was interested in entertainment from an early age. In elementary school he did impersonations of Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Durante. After dropping out of high school, he formed a music and comedy act with two friends. Calling themselves the Bishop Brothers, after an acquaintance who had let them use his car, they worked in Philadelphia, New York, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland and other cities, appearing in clubs with names like the Nut Club and El Dumpo. Photo The Rat Pack  from left, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop  in Las Vegas in 1959, shortly before the release of their film Oceans Eleven. Credit Warner Brothers The team broke up when the young men were drafted into military service in World War II. Mr. Bishop joined the Army, was based at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and rose to sergeant. After the war he developed a solo act using the name Bishop. Performing in top clubs, he drew the attention of television producers and was soon appearing on “What’s My Line?,” a popular game show on CBS, and in television specials.

He also became a substitute host on “The Tonight Show” after Jack Paar left the job and before NBC hired Carson. Mr. Bishop’s sitcom, “The Joey Bishop Show,” about a talk-show host, had a rocky run: first broadcast on NBC in 1961, it was canceled in 1964, then taken over by CBS until that network also canceled it, in 1965. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy ABC then asked him to create a real “The Joey Bishop Show” as a late-night response to Carson. The Bishop talk show had its debut in April 1967. Jack Gould, reviewing it for The New York Times, said the premiere was “awkward and parochial” and that as host, Mr. Bishop had to learn to interview. But its initial ratings were respectable as a parade of celebrity guests came on to banter with the host. From some, Mr. Bishop elicited startling revelations. Hackett confessed that he had been addicted to marijuana for four years.

The singer Gary Crosby and the actor George Raft both revealed that they had been alcoholics. And the comedian Redd Foxx cried while recounting the obstacles he faced as black man in show business. But Bishop never seriously challenged Carson’s supremacy, and when Merv Griffin joined the late-night talk competition in 1969, Mr. Bishop’s ratings plummeted. ABC canceled the show that fall, and Mr. Bishop returned to nightclub work, guest appearances on TV variety shows and frequent work as a substitute host for Carson. He also had several movie roles, mostly in the ’60s. In 1981 Mr. Bishop returned to the spotlight to replace Mickey Rooney for four weeks in “Sugar Babies,” a Broadway production. He could not sing well, as Mr. Rooney could, so he played the mandolin instead. But Mr. Bishop never regained the popularity he had in the ’60s. In his book Mr. Starr describes Mr. Bishop as “a man who knew what he wanted, worked for years to achieve it, and then let it go — much too quickly.” The cancellation of his talk show in 1969, Mr.

Starr wrote, “signaled the end of his career after a remarkable 10 years on top.” At the time Mr. Bishop was 51. A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B6 of the New York edition with the headline: Joey Bishop, Comic and Last Survivor of the Rat Pack, Dies at 89. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Last of the Rat Pack dies | Flyin\' Footwork Last of the Rat Pack dies Posted on October 18th, 2007 by Rob Leave a comment The last surviving member of Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, Joey Bishop, died today (10/18/07) at age 89 ( news link ). Joey, a veteran of vaudeville, burlesque and nightclubs, is most remembered for his comedic one liners in the famous Rat Pack comedy and music numbers at the Sands Hotel. He is also well known from appearing in such moves as “Sergeants 3” and the original “Ocean’s Eleven”. “When Sinatra almost drowned filming a movie scene in Hawaii, Bishop wired him: ‘I thought you could walk on water.'” “The future is an opaque mirror.

Anyone who tries to look into it sees nothing but the dim outlines of an old and worried face.” – Joey Bishop Last 'Rat Pack' member Joey Bishop dies - Boston.com Last 'Rat Pack' member Joey Bishop dies Email | Print | Text size – + By Jeff Wilson Associated Press Writer / October 18, 2007 LOS ANGELES—Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89. He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998. Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowan said Thursday. The Rat Pack became a show business sensation in the early 1960s, appearing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner. Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise.

He termed the comedian "the Hub of the Big Wheel," with Bishop coming up with some of the best one-liners and beginning many jokes with his favorite phrase, "Son of a gun!" "He was the perfect match for the Rat Pack. He fit right in like an old shoe," Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said Thursday. The quintet lived it up whenever members were free of their own commitments. They appeared together in such films as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeants 3" and proudly gave honorary membership to a certain fun-loving politician from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, at whose inauguration gala Bishop served as master of ceremonies. The Rat Pack faded after Kennedy's assassination, but the late 1990s brought a renaissance, with the group depicted in an HBO movie and portrayed by imitators in Las Vegas and elsewhere. The movie "Ocean's Eleven" was even remade in 2003 with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the lead roles. Bishop defended his fellow performers' rowdy reputations in a 1998 interview. "Are we remembered as being drunk and chasing broads?" he asked.

"I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag. And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away." Away from the Rat Pack, Bishop starred in two TV series, both called "The Joey Bishop Show." The first, an NBC sitcom, got off to a rocky start in 1961. Critical and audience response was generally negative, and the second season brought a change in format. The third season brought a change in network, with the show moving to ABC, but nothing seemed to help and it was canceled in 1965. In the first series, Bishop played a TV talk show host. Then, he really became a TV talk show host. His program was started by ABC in 1967 as a challenge to Johnny Carson's immensely popular "The Tonight Show." Like Carson, Bishop sat behind a desk and bantered with a sidekick, TV newcomer Regis Philbin. But despite an impressive guest list and outrageous stunts, Bishop couldn't dent Carson's ratings, and "The Joey Bishop Show" was canceled after two seasons.

Bishop then became a familiar guest figure in TV variety shows and as sub for vacationing talk show hosts, filling in for Carson 205 times. He also played character roles in such movies as "The Naked and the Dead" ("I played both roles"), "Onion-head," "Johnny Cool," "Texas Across the River," "Who's Minding the Mint?" "Valley of the Dolls" and "The Delta Force." His comedic schooling came from vaudeville, burlesque and nightclubs. Skipping his last high school semester in Philadelphia, he formed a music and comedy act with two other boys, and they played clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They called themselves the Bishop Brothers, borrowing the name from their driver, Glenn Bishop. Joseph Abraham Gottlieb would eventually adopt Joey Bishop as his stage name. When his partners got drafted, Bishop went to work as a single, playing his first solo date in Cleveland at the well-named El Dumpo. During these early years he developed his style: laid-back drollery, with surprise throwaway lines. After 3 1/2 years in the Army, Bishop resumed his career in 1945.

Within five years he was earning $1,000 a week at New York's Latin Quarter. Sinatra saw him there one night and hired him as opening act. While most members of the Sinatra entourage treated the great man gingerly, Bishop had no inhibitions. He would tell audiences that the group's leader hadn't ignored him: "He spoke to me backstage; he told me `Get out of the way.'" When Sinatra almost drowned filming a movie scene in Hawaii, Bishop wired him: "I thought you could walk on water." Born in New York's borough of the Bronx, Bishop was the youngest of five children of two immigrants from Eastern Europe. When he was 3 months old the family moved to South Philadelphia, where he attended public schools. He recalled being an indifferent student, once remarking, "In kindergarten, I flunked sand pile." In 1941 Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga and, despite the rigors of a show business career, the marriage survived until her death in 1999. Bishop, who spent his retirement years on the upscale Lido Isle in Southern California's Newport Bay, is survived by son Larry Bishop; grandchildren Scott and Kirk Bishop; and longtime companion Nora Garabotti.

------ Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas contributed to this report. © Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Joey Bishop - Biography - IMDb Joey Bishop Biography Showing all 32 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (21) | Personal Quotes (2) Overview (5) 5' 8½" (1.74 m) Mini Bio (1) Perpetually glum standup comedian Joey Bishop was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on February 3, 1918, in the Bronx, New York. He was the youngest of five children of Chana "Anna" (Siegel) and Jacob Gottlieb, a bicycle repairman. His father was an Austrian Jewish immigrant and his mother was a Romanian Jew. He was raised in Philadelphia and learned while growing up how to tap dance, do imitations and play the mandolin and banjo. Dropping out of high school at 18, he started out in the humor business in vaudeville as part of a comedy act with his brother.

Billed as "Joey Gottlieb" at the time, he later joined a comedy group that called themselves "The Bishop Trio" and kept the last name for himself after the team broke up. His nascent career was interrupted while serving in the Army during WWII, but quickly resumed things after his discharge in 1945. He appeared on television as early as 1948, but it took a while before he caught on. A master ad-libber, he became a nitery specialist at such establishments as the Latin Quarter, and served as an opening act for a number of stars, including Frank Sinatra , in the mid-50s. As his reputation increased, he became a steadfast cog on the talk show, sitcom and game show circuits. A frequent and amusing guest panelist on What's My Line? (1950), the jug-eared jokester went on to guest-host on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) a record 177 times. He also frequently appeared as a guest for Steve Allen and Jack Paar in their earlier late-nite formats. Bishop entered the sitcom venue in the early 1960s.

On his first show, The Joey Bishop Show (1961), he played Joey Barnes, the host of a TV talk show in New York. Abby Dalton came on board in the second season as wife Ellie. Among his co-stars were up-and-coming stars Bill Bixby and Marlo Thomas and such character veterans as Joe Besser , of The Three Stooges fame, and Mary Treen were brought aboard for stronger support. This popular show lasted four seasons. Life imitated art several years later when Bishop went on to compete against Carson for the late-night viewing audience with his own talk show The Joey Bishop Show (1967) for ABC. The show was no match for Carson, however, and quickly dwindled in ratings, fading away after two years. His co-host/sidekick/foil was none other than Regis Philbin . Dick Cavett eventually replaced him to fill the ABC midnight void. Relatively overlooked for his work on film, Bishop did show some promise early in the game with occasional straight roles that veered away from his sarcastic comedy demeanor with such roles in The Deep Six (1958), The Naked and the Dead (1958) and Onionhead (1958).

He would also generate public interest as the less-than-slick member of Hollywood's "Rat Pack", which was comprised of ultra-hip pals Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford . Known as "Sinatra's comic" at one time (for having frequently opened for the star), Bishop wrote material and serving as the emcee for many of the clan's Las Vegas shows in the 1960s. In addition he appeared in the "Rat Pack"-oriented movies Ocean's 11 (1960) and Sergeants 3 (1962), but the straight-laced comedian later butted heads with the party-hearty Sinatra and split while the next film Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964) was in preparation. Elsewhere, he appeared as either a foil, sidekick, or guest cameos in such standard movies as Johnny Cool (1963), Texas Across the River (1966) with Dean Martin , Who's Minding the Mint? (1967) and even Valley of the Dolls (1967).

Once his late night TV show folded he returned to night clubs for a time but gradually withdrew more and more from the show-biz limelight in the 1970s. He appeared in only three films after this point -- The Delta Force (1986), Betsy's Wedding (1990) and Mad Dog Time (1996) -- and showing up on a rare occasion as a TV guest. Married to Sylvia Ruzga since 1941, their son Larry Bishop is an actor-turned-director and producer. Long retired and the last surviving "Rat Pack" member after Sinatra's death in 1998, his wife Sylvia of 58 years died of cancer in 1999. Joey, in failing health for some time, died of multiple organ failure on October 17, 2007, at his Newport Beach, California home.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net Spouse (1) ( 14 January 1942 - 20 September 1999) (her death) (1 child) Trade Mark (2) The catchphrase "Son of a gun!" Frequently worked with fellow Rat Pack members Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra., Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford Trivia (21) Father of actor Larry Bishop . Received a citation from Pope John XXIII for his help with the Boys Towns throughout Italy. Weighed 2 lbs, 14 oz, at birth. At the time was the smallest baby ever born at Fordham Hospital in New York City. While he performed as the "straight man" during the famous "Rat Pack" performances in Las Vegas, he wrote much of the material. Guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) more than anyone else, doing so 177 times. Was a regular on the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts". Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald S. Smith, pg. 53-54.

New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 His professional surname, Bishop, was taken from the last name of a chauffeur friend of his in his early days in show business. He and the other members of the Rat Pack were banned from Marilyn Monroe 's funeral by Joe DiMaggio . Joey Bishop, ‘Rat Pack’ Comic, Dies at 89 - The New York Times The New York Times Arts |Joey Bishop, ‘Rat Pack’ Comic, Dies at 89 Search Joey Bishop, ‘Rat Pack’ Comic, Dies at 89 By RICHARD SEVERO Joey Bishop , the long-faced comedian and the last surviving member of the Rat Pack, Frank Sinatra’s celebrated retinue of the 1960’s, died Wednesday night at his home in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 89. His death was of multiple causes, said his longtime publicist, Warren Cowan. Mr. Bishop was the least flamboyant of the Rat Pack and no match for the others — Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and Sinatra himself — in their dedication to hell-raising.

But he shared in their phenomenal success in the early 1960s, when they headlined music and comedy shows in Las Vegas, appearing at the Sands, and made movies like “Ocean’s 11” and “Sergeants 3.” When John F. Kennedy, a friend of Sinatra’s and a brother-in-law of Lawford’s, was elected president in 1960, Mr. Bishop was master of ceremonies at the inaugural ball. Mr. Bishop, a regular guest on television as a standup comedian, eventually had his own TV shows: a sitcom in which he played a talk show host, and later his own actual talk show, appearing on ABC in a short-lived challenge to Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” His sidekick on the set was a young Regis Philbin, who is now the co-host of his own syndicated morning talk show. Continue reading the main story In his vigorous years, when Mr. Bishop was known as “the Frown Prince” and his income and fame were substantial, he indulged himself in a Rolls-Royce and a speedboat.

But he seemed happiest when he was playing golf with his fellow comedians Buddy Hackett, Phil Foster and Dick Shawn. And unlike the others in The Pack, he remained married to the same woman, the former Sylvia Ruzga, for 58 years, until her death in 1999. They had a son, Larry. Advertisement Continue reading the main story There were times when he suggested that despite his friendship with Sinatra and his appreciation for all that he had done for his career, including seeing to it that he got roles in Rat Pack movies, he felt he was more the mascot of the Pack than a full-fledged member. A 2002 biography of him, by Michael Seth Starr, was titled “Mouse in the Rat Pack.” “But even the mascot gets to carry the ball, too,” Mr. Bishop said, and many sources credit him with writing bright material for the rest of the pack. Mr. Bishop had a talent for ad-libbing. He refused to memorize jokes. “The kick is to think quickly,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 1966. “It’s a great kick.” That approach pleased Sinatra, who first saw Mr.

Bishop perform in the early 1950s, at the Latin Quarter in Manhattan. Sinatra asked him to open for him at Bill Miller’s Riviera, a club in Fort Lee, N.J. Soon, he was regularly opening for Sinatra and became known as “Sinatra’s comic.” And he began getting jobs in first-rate clubs even when Sinatra was not on the bill. He got laughs when he appeared one night at the Copacabana in Manhattan, and Marilyn Monroe suddenly appeared swathed in white ermine. “I told you to sit in the truck,” Mr. Bishop, thinking quickly, told her. When he got a small role in the movie “The Naked and the Dead,” he told another audience, he “played both parts.” Joey Bishop was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb in the Bronx on Feb. 3, 1918, the fifth child and third son of Jacob Gottlieb and the former Anna Siegel, immigrants from eastern Europe. When Joey was three months old, Jacob Gottlieb moved his family to Philadelphia, where he worked at odd jobs and ran a bicycle shop. Joey Gottlieb was interested in entertainment from an early age, doing impersonations of Edward G.

Robinson, Fred Allen and Jimmy Durante. After dropping out of high school, he formed a music and comedy act with two friends. Calling themselves the Bishop Brothers, after an acquaintance who had let them use his car, they worked in Philadelphia, New York, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland and other cities, appearing in clubs with names like “The Nut Club,” and “El Dumpo.” Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy The team broke up when they were drafted into military service in World War II. Joining the Army, Mr. Bishop rose to sergeant, based at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. After the war, he developed a solo act, appearing in New York clubs and attracting the attention of television producers. He appeared on “What’s My Line,” a popular television show on CBS, and in many television specials. And he was a substitute host on “The Tonight Show” after Jack Parr left the job and before NBC hired Mr. Carson. Later, he was Carson’s frequent guest and substitute. Mr.

Bishop’s sitcom, “The Joey Bishop Show,” had a rocky run: first broadcast on NBC in 1961, it was canceled in 1964, then taken over by CBS — until that network also canceled it, in 1965. ABC then asked him to create “The Joey Bishop Show” as a late-night response to Mr. Carson’s show. It had its debut in April 1967. Jack Gould, reviewing it for The New York Times, said the premier was “awkward and parochial” and that as host, Mr. Bishop had to learn to interview. Advertisement Continue reading the main story But its initial ratings were respectable as a parade of top celebrity guests came through to banter with the host. From some, Mr. Bishop managed to elicit some startling revelations. Buddy Hackett confessed he had been hooked on marijuana for four years. The singer Gary Crosby and the actor George Raft both revealed they had been alcoholics. And the comedian Redd Foxx broke into tears while recounting the obstacles he faced as black man in show business. But the Bishop show never seriously challenged Mr.

Carson’s supremacy, and when Merv Griffin joined the late-night competition with his own talk show in 1969, Mr. Bishop’s ratings plummeted. ABC canceled the show in the fall of 1969, and Mr. Bishop returned to nightclub work, guest appearances on TV variety shows and work as a substitute host for Mr. Carson. In 1981, he returned to the spotlight to replace Mickey Rooney for four weeks in “Sugar Babies,” a Broadway production. He could not sing, as Mr. Rooney had, and instead played the mandolin. Besides his son, Larry, a comic actor turned director and producer, Mr. Bishop is survived by two grandchildren and his companion, Nora Garabotti. In his book, Mr. Starr described Mr. Bishop as “a man who knew what he wanted, worked for years to achieve it, and then let it go — much too quickly.” ABC’s cancellation of “The Joey Bishop Show,” Mr. Starr wrote, “signaled the end of his career after a remarkable 10 years on top.” Mr. Bishop was 51 at the time.

Comedian Joey Bishop, 89, last of 'Rat Pack' - The Boston Globe Obituaries Comedian Joey Bishop, 89, last of 'Rat Pack' A stone-faced Joey Bishop (right) with other members of the "Rat Pack" at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas (from left): Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. (ap file 1960) By Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times | October 19, 2007 LOS ANGELES - Joey Bishop, the deadpan comedian who was ABC's answer to NBC's late-night talk-show king Johnny Carson in the late 1960s and was the last surviving member of Frank Sinatra's legendary Rat Pack, died Wednesday at his Newport Beach home. He was 89. Mr. Bishop, who had been in failing health for some time, was an adept ad-libber with a dry, underplayed sense of humor. He achieved his greatest fame in the 1960s, as master of ceremonies for President Kennedy's inaugural gala and a member of the famed Rat Pack that also included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford.

The five frequently appeared onstage at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Time magazine referred to Mr. Bishop as that swinging, fun-loving group's "top banana." Jack Benny called him "one of the funniest men I've ever seen." And Danny Thomas was so impressed with Mr. Bishop, he had a weekly situation comedy built around him. For four years, from 1961 through 1965, Mr. Bishop starred in the situation comedy "The Joey Bishop Show," whose character, Joey Barnes, was changed from a low-level public relations man living with his mother during the first season to being a married, late-night talk-show host. It was a fitting fictional occupation for the quick-witted comic, who had become nationally known in the late '50s for his regular late-night appearances on "The Jack Paar Show." (Paar once likened Mr. Bishop's dour demeanor to that of "an untipped waiter.") Mr. Bishop frequently substituted as host for Paar and later for Carson. In 1967, ABC signed him to host his own 90-minute late-night talk-fest. "The Joey Bishop Show," with Regis Philbin as Mr.

Bishop's announcer-sidekick, ran for 2 1/2 years. In November 1969, with his show third in the ratings behind Carson and Merv Griffin's new late-night talk show on CBS, ABC told Mr. Bishop it was canceling his show at the end of December. A day later, Mr. Bishop shocked his Hollywood studio audience during his opening monologue by saying that he and the network had decided to end the show. After praising his staff, he announced that he was going home to have dinner with his wife. Then he walked off the stage. "It didn't bother me a bit," Mr. Bishop said of his show's cancellation during a 1998 interview with the Los Angeles Times. "I don't consider success doing a show for 30 years; I'm sorry. To me, you're successful when you graduate from something. I did a series, I did a talk show, I did movies, I replaced Mickey Rooney [on Broadway] in `Sugar Babies.' You understand?" In his 2002 biography of Mr.

Bishop, "Mouse in the Rat Pack: The Joey Bishop Story," New York Post TV columnist Michael Seth Starr painted a picture of a perfectionist who "clashed with his writers, producers, directors, and co-stars" on his TV series, among others - a man who in general could be charming one minute and prickly the next. "He was very demanding, and I think a lot of that came from the fact he had to work his way up, playing clubs," Starr told the Times a few years ago. "He really went through the school of hard knocks." Born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb in the Bronx, N.Y., on Feb. 3, 1918, Mr. Bishop was the youngest of five children of Jewish immigrant parents from central Europe. When he was still an infant, his family moved to South Philadelphia, where his mechanic father opened a bicycle shop. Mr. Bishop learned to tap dance, do imitations, and play the banjo and mandolin. At 18, he dropped out of high school to pursue a career in show business. In time, he teamed up with two pals in a zany comedy act. They called themselves the Bishop Brothers. Mr.

Bishop went solo in 1941, the same year he married his wife, Sylvia. He honed his quick wit and flair for ad-libbing in a Cleveland club for nine months before being drafted into the Army in 1942. Resuming his show business career after his discharge in 1945, Mr. Bishop soon gained a reputation as a promising young comic known for his pointed and sarcastic observations. In 1952, he was earning $1,000 a week at the Latin Quarter in Manhattan, where he caught the eye of Sinatra, who asked him to open for him at a popular New Jersey club. Mr. Bishop continued to open for Sinatra in New York and occasionally on the road, his relationship with the powerful Sinatra paying big career dividends. He appeared in 14 films, joining Sinatra and fellow Rat Packers in "Ocean's 11" and "Sergeants 3." It was in 1960 while Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Lawford, and Mr.

Bishop were in Las Vegas filming "Ocean's 11," a crime comedy about a scheme to rob five casinos in a single night, that they performed nightly at the Sands Hotel in what was dubbed "the summit." Theirs was a freewheeling show in which Davis might mash a cake in Mr. Bishop's face and Martin would lift up Davis and hand him to Sinatra, saying: "This is an award that just arrived for you from the NAACP." On stage, Mr. Bishop was never at a loss for words. While opening for Sinatra at the Copacabana in New York in 1954, he was in the middle of his act when Marilyn Monroe walked in wearing a floor-length ermine coat. Mr. Bishop waited for her to be seated before saying, "Marilyn, I told you to wait in the truck." Mr. Bishop, whose wife died of cancer in 1999, leaves a son, Larry; two grandchildren; and longtime companion Nora Garabotti. © Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

Last Rat Pack member dies - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Last Rat Pack member dies Michael Rowland Updated October 19, 2007 08:10:00 The last surviving member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, Joey Bishop, has died. He was 89. Bishop had a long show business career, starting out as a stand-up comic in the 1940s. But he is best known for his stint in the fast-living Rat Pack in the early 1960s. The group that included Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Peter Lawford entertained Las Vegas crowds with a mixture of singing, comedy and on-stage carousing. The quintet also teamed up to make several films. Bishop died at his home in southern California of multiple causes. First posted October 19, 2007 07:45:00 Top Stories

Question: Who was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack, who died October 2007?
Answer: Joey Bishop